Friday, October 28, 2011

You deleted your git repository or are given a brand new machine - what to do?

But why am i not on 'origin' - seem to remember that from github last time?

Think of 'origin' as your first breadcrumb in your source work - where did you start from. More eloquently put...

Origin indicates the original repository from which you started. As we started from scratch this name is still available.

Here in my case we cloned, and unless we tell git differently, we are going to be tracking the remote repository pointed to by origin/HEAD (which in my case means origin/master or simply master on my local reporting)

git push

What do you think that will do given the images shown above?

First thing to bear in mind is that unless you tell it differently a push will go to where you started.

In my case, I started from a remote .git file which I gave as part of my clone command.

The diff command is your way of testing things before your push

( Note: The diff did not need your credentials as git keeps track
locally of how you have differed from your start point.* )

The push here knew where to send your changes.

You can be explicit about things by giving arguments to push if you wish.

git checkout - some musings:

Two things are bothering me here so let's clear this up

checkout sounds like a hangover from previous version control

master sounds like it does not belong as a branch name

If you were creating your own branch then you can pick a better name than master I am sure.

Branching - do it locally or do it remotely:

This seems to be an attitude / workflow thing.

'I am little' versus 'I am big' - workflow

You have a meeting with all the devs, you agree that a significant feature named 'serialization' is going to be added to your project.

"Okay I'll create a 'serialization' branch" you say before leaving the meeting.

This is an example of 'I am big' - you are making an 'ahead of time' branch on the remote repository to which you will later commit.

git push origin origin:refs/heads/serialization

Now you do all your serialization work and commit and push.

The 'I am little' workflow is a little less formal. You might have just joined the project by cloning. Probably you have a local branch master that is tracking the remote origin/master.

Create your branch locally, make your changes, push your changes to the remote as a new branch

Here you have not made a central decision on behalf of the entire project, until after all your code changes where complete which I say as 'I am little' workflow.

Note: If other folks have committed or branched the remote repository, then you will have to find a way to merge or latch onto the current running position.

The desktop machine itself did not have to be very powerful as JSP, PHP, ASP did all the hard work in the computer room.

The phrase "Server Side round trip" was born, to give a catchy phrase to what some folks described as a network bottleneck.

Mobile net & Smartphones - ½ of Server Side now replaced by Javascript:

Sun/Oracle and Intel sell less servers because of this. Cue displeasure.

Client side development using Ajax and jQuery is popular in some startups.

The downside for the mobile user, is that the network bottleneck has now been replaced by a browser bottleneck - javascript processing.

In 2011, the biggest browser announcements, were all about the speed of the javascript processing engine.

In 2012 the push for dual core smartphones is mostly going to be driven by single core, becoming sluggish under the weight of client side javascript.

Phrases like "Sluggish page loading" and "smartphone lockup" are just two of the new phrases emerging from this shift.

Is a browser bottleneck better than a network bottleneck?

For desktops in the workplace, a network bottleneck is unlikely to be an issue, so server side processing makes perfect sense.

For tablets, smartphones, access via 3G/4G dongles, it all depends on the country in which you live, and the amount of time you spend on the move.

I use a tablet and 90% of my browsing is done via home / work fast WiFi - no network bottleneck. Heavy Ajax and jQuery is probably using up battery life unnecessarily.

I live outside of the metropolitan areas in India, and my smartphone connection regularly varies between 2 bars and the maximum 5 bars.
Heavy Ajax and jQuery client side processing is the answer.
Your battery takes the hit, but you are able to work very effectively with less reliance on the network.

Giving just two examples does not really cover it, but I hope that is enough to stimulate your own research.

Big social media - where is my bottleneck?

Twitter and Google+ place least reliance on the network, and prefer to put a good portion of the database access and scroller code on the client side.

Seem strange to me to be naming Google there, as Google does have pretty unlimited server side resources.

Identica and Facebook place more reliance on the network, but are less taxing on your smartphone processor.

Server side scripting such as Php takes a lot of the strain in Identica and Facebook, meaning you are borrowing less of your phone out, when browsing their social media.

In short the Facebook datacentre is humming when you browse, rather than your smartphone processor being fully taxed.

Just to clarify, I am by no means a Facebook fan, however this an article about choice of technologies, which does not require me to like Facebook or Google+ or both.

Big Social Media is very expensive, and if the company can borrow half of your smartphone processor, rather than compute on the server side, then there is a financial incentive there, to use your electricity rather than their own wherever possible.

How can I see this for myself? I want to experiment:

Browse around on Twitter and Identica and notice the speed and strain on your browser. Are they different? Does one seem more responsive than the other?

By Twitter and Identica, I mean searching or logging in to the www.twitter.com or www.identi.ca urls, rather than using a dedicated smartphone app.

The dedicated smartphone app for Twitter avoids Ajax and jQuery and suchlike, and is optimised for the best native device language, and API access available.

It also sets out visionary proposals in which each of the seven 'quarters' will be able to evolve.

The developments of New Street Station, the Library and Museum & Art Gallery (most of which complete in 2014 / 2015) will be a big step forward.

However the connectivity of those seven areas and, more importantly, creating one way systems or other ways of pushing the high speed traffic out, from the very centre, need to be addressed (my humble opinion).

Art and Birmingham - Wow!

Pleasantly surprised to find the central Art locations so well stocked.

The Museum and Art Gallery has some fantastic works, however the layout of the listed building in which it is housed, does the visitor few favours.

I challenge any couple to spend a few hours in the main Museum & Art Gallery and rely on just signage for directions.

When the renovation work is complete in 2015, I do intend to visit again. Part of me hopes that the signs will have improved, and that the lack of renovation work makes the difference in visitor experience.

Do visit. The range and total number of items on display is fantastic.

Culture and Birmingham - just dipping a toe:

It is impossible to understand the culture of a city in a couple of days, so I will not try. Do treat my comments lightly - they are not thoroughly researched and are really just some minor observations.

If you like a Cultural mix (I do) then you will feel right at home in Birmingham, it is a melting pot of cultures and friendly with it.

Whilst I am sure reading the local press I might find some examples of when this mix does not work, it certainly wasn't my impression, during my short visit, that this was the case.

Travel on a bus. Yes there are some groups of folks in two or threes chatting about aspects of their shared culture. But that never seemed to create a feeling of division. My impression was that it was just 60 people from Birmingham on a bus, with more in common, than otherwise.

If you live in an area that is uni-culture, then do visit Birmingham and see for yourself. But do so with the intention of being open and receptive. Otherwise why bother wasting your own time, and the time of the good folks of Birmingham.

Real Ale and Ska - now there is a potent combination:

I cannot think of a better activity than having a few pints in friendly company, whilst listening to some good jukebox music.

In Selly Oak, I followed my visit to the Barber Art Institute, with a few pints of Banks and some relaxed Reggae and Ska on the jukebox.

Notes and Further Reading:

Did I enjoy my 2 night city break in Birmingham? Yes.
Would I visit again? I will.

If you are visiting and the weather is good, then do explore the tourist trail near the canal - sun bouncing off the water will give you a good dose of Vit D.

You need the sun's ultraviolet B rays to manufacture vitamin D.

I try not to get too hung up on musical categories, but here are two links, if your interest takes you further:

Now I don't know - but the thing that stands out here is the name Lacey - Mr Jan Micheal Lacey - appointed September 2008, then particulars changed 3 months later and again in 2010 - what sort of reorganisation is going on there exactly?

Go here and ask some questions if you feel you might benefit from peer support.

Here is what Bill had to say about dealing with calls from this company:

Do not discuss anything, just leave them hanging on the phone. Do not even give them your name. They will also let it ring twice, as though you have a missed call and let you phone back......

Naming and shaming companies who deal with Fredrickson:

O2

Vodafone

Tiscali

BT

Virgin

Boycott those companies. It should be part of how you choose your services to consider who a company associates with.

Note: Just because Fredrickson International write in a letter that their client is "Such and Such Bank", does not make it so. One such example showed "Client: Bank of Scotland", however I am pretty sure that this is misleading.

Compiling a 'filtered list' of the most vulnerable - the 'mark' list:

Do not under any circumstances contact Fredrickson International without first checking your own credit record.

Courts should appreciate the argument:

I believed it to be a scam, so I promptly ordered a copy of my credit reference file. And this arrived within 7-10 days.

So work to your own timetable, diligently, and do not be rushed by scare tactics and barmy court cost figures in a letter.

Solicitors and part qualified legal executives who get involved in compiling 'mark' lists, based on response to scare tactics are bringing the law into disrepute.

The law was never about allowing exploitation of societies most vulnerable, by somebody with a two year City & Guilds equivalent in basic law.

The first time you respond to a bogus debt claim, you have just been promoted to the class B list.

Class A - the original list
Class B - those who have responded in any way
Class C - those who seem most unable to 'hold their own' in telephone conversation, and might pay twice for something already cleared.

That Class C 'mark list' is very valuable to all companies operating in grey areas of law.

If you make it onto the Class C list, then even if you get rid of the company that is currently bothering you, by sharing that valued list, another bogus claim from a different company is likely in the future.

Trading in lists of societies most vulnerable individuals? How on earth did we end up here?
UK Prime Minister - what are you going to do to address this awful situation?

But my Sister who has Learning Disabilities has already visited fredpay.com?

If you have verified that this is a bogus claim (Statute Barred / Already settled), then your Sister (with your help) will have to write to Fredrickson International, and ask them to remove all records they hold on her. Do it soon.

If they have not responded within 14 days confirming receipt of your letter, then they are in violation of Data Protection regulations, and seek help at http://www.ico.gov.uk/

If it were me doing the writing, then I would address the letter to the Data Controller at the Surrey address listed above, and do not bother with recorded delivery - too easy to ignore (I was not in the office)

If the company are genuinely ignoring data removal requests, then the Information Commissioner (see Helpline number) will respond to your complaint.

Next time you are being pitched a Broadband contract - ask the sales operator.

Does your network allow connections from automated dialers?

How easy is it for the network to bar a number from being able to call my landline?

How easy is it for the network to bar a number from being able to call my mobile?

Can you point me to the area of your website regarding nuisance calls?

Does your company have any business dealings with Fredrickson International?

If enough people ask these, then you are helping reshape demand to better meet the needs of the end user, and helping solve the problem.

Antivirus and call blocking:

I have no affiliation to Webroot or any other antivirus software, however Webroot kindly provide screenshots at play.google.com which indicate an sms/call block feature.

Most antivirus is probably as good as the next, however if you are buying it in order to get sms/call blocking, then do ensure it has this feature before hitting 'Buy'

Your personal grievance with Fredrickson:

Please seek some peer support from consumer action groups, or citizens advice if you have a current problem or personal grievance with Fredrickson.
( I wrote this blog post 3 years ago, and have no further dealing personally with this disreputable company. I leave the article content active, as it may help some of the people who are still being targeted by this company. )

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Here are 4 phrases, that I hope will never appear on my fictional obituary

If it didn't involve 100% markup, then he wasn't interested

He sought to divide the globe into the 10% who could afford his product, and the other 90%, and, to make that division very tangible.

He made some very uninteresting people proud to wear a turtleneck

He learned from previous examples of 'patent aggression', then took it to the max.

I can be pretty sure about the third entry, and the other three make good personal targets of 'how not to' for my future.

Here are some experimental entries:

He wrote an anti-EULA that made app store software installation really difficult

He refused to dress up, and was rarely the best dressed gentleman at the convention.

He missed the opportunity to branch out into high street 'churches'.

He told a lie once about a guy with a different ideology.

...and some more...

He chopped and changed endeavours so frequently, and failed to see out some projects to true proof or disproof.

He often placed too little value on business partners, and failed to move forward quickly enough, by 'in-housing' too much.

He did not take the time to ensure that his own moral code was part of the company make up. When it went public, it turned into the very thing which he had been fighting against most of his career.

Experimenting this way, and, for a short time trying to play the external critic, can be useful in firming up your own objectives.

Organised religion makes a big thing about some central figure. Whilst it is okay to borrow some features and achievements from somebody else, achieving your own potential fully, will probably not come from imitation.

If you want to explore the 'central figure' / worship theme a little, then the argument and counter arguments here are a good entry point.

I was never a fan of the minimum wage 'idea', however it is now in place in the UK.

As it happens I think that statement from Mark Littlewood, sidesteps the wider issue of Housing.

The minimum wage being 'too high' is purely a reflection of rising living costs.

Think of it as nothing more than a number/statistic helps.

The true problem, in my opinion, is the daft idea of turning 'housing' (an essential item) into a 'free market' driven by folks looking for 20% or 10% annual return.

Whilst that situation exists, living costs will continue to be driven by, that underlying market force, and that living cost reflection (minimum wage) will also continue to rise.

There have been many headlines in the past 5 years from Company Directors*, complaining about the minimum wage.

Directors and recruiters bleating about a minimum wage being too high, seems to me to be a lazy sidestepping of the wider issue.

Do these same Directors* and recruiters own second homes?

Because if they did, you could understand why they may be reluctant, to give up on a market system (housing) in which, they have major capital invested.

*Directors here means Company Directors in general, and does not refer to any one individual.

Better off on welfare - how the 'Housing market' creates this situation:

As a Mathematician and follower of logic, this seems all too easy to describe, and illustrate with numbers.

You are a blue collar worker named Bob and you work full time at a biscuit factory.

Your weekly earnings have increased steadily from £200 in 1990, to £300 in 2000, and £400 in 2010.

1994 was a good year, you got Married to Janet and bought a semi-detached for £30,000 with a Mortgage arrangement. You are 24 years old and things are rosy.

2002 was not a good year, you got divorced, agreed to sell the house and split the proceeds.

The 'Housing Market' now in full effect had increased the value of your property to £80,000.

You pay the divorce lawyer, and sale fees and You and Janet end up with roughly £30,000 each.

You choose to rent a flat at £100 per week.

The 'buy to let' effect on the Housing Market has increased average rents, now between 2003 and 2009, your rent has increased on the flat from £100 to £180 per week.

Luckily for you your wages in 2010 are now £400, but of the £220 remaining after your rent is paid, you must contribute to the living costs of the children from your marriage.

You struggle financially, but have got past the divorce, and enjoy spending a couple of days with the kids midweek and weekends.

The £30,000 you had from the sale of the house has been pretty much spent on treating the kids - organised school holidays skiing for little Pete, and a pony for Lucy. You now have £5,000 in a saver account.

In 2011 the Biscuit Factory closes and you lose your job.

Now let's pretend for a second that there is no minimum wage.

Bob has a flat for £180 per week. He has to contribute to the upkeep of his children with Janet also.

He liked the job at the Biscuit Factory, and it gave him stability for many years, however he has few transferable skills.

Bob's cost of living has very little to do with whether he lives in a country that has a minimum wage.

If there was a minimum wage and it was scrapped overnight, it does not alter Bob's situation.

Adding some detail - Bob lives in the UK and there is (currently) a National Minimum Wage of £6.08

( For International Readers - I give some context ... £6.08 will buy between 4 and 6 loaves of sliced bread depending on where you shop )

Bob goes down to the job centre. Most of the jobs for which he would have any hope of showing 'previous experience' are priced at the Minimum Wage rate of £6.08 per hour.

£212.80 per week is what you will get on Minimum Wage for working a 35 hour week.

Assuming Bob takes the job at Roundhouse Cake Factory at £212.80 per week, and does not claim any housing assistance, he cannot stay in the flat and support his kids.

Instead Bob takes the job at Roundhouse Cake Factory at £212.80 per week, and does claim housing assistance - he can stay in the flat and support his kids.
Welfare won. Bob works hard but finds life is worth living and adores his children.

Should Welfare win? - the different opinions:

The welfare staff are chatting over lunch. The discussion is about Bob. He should really have moved out of the flat, and into a shared house with cheaper rent says Charlie. Jenny points out that a 40 plus single man with children staying over Wednesdays and Saturdays, might not work with a house of young students.

Have your own discussion folks. Is Bob right? Is Charlie talking sense? Does Jenny have a valid opinion?

What did not matter at all in that scenario was Minimum Wage.

What did matter looking back at the history was ...

1994 -> 2002 the cost of a semi-detached rose from £30,000 to £80,000

2003 -> 2009 the rental for a flat rose from £100 to £180

Now let's consider a clone of Bob (Bob2), who has let himself go a bit. He makes an effort with the children, but feels a little downtrodden and is not very happy except on Dad days.

Bob2 fails to get the job at Roundhouse Cake Factory - the employer had a more enthusiastic applicant and gave the job to Ted.

...or...

Bob2 fails to get the job at Roundhouse Cake Factory - the employer had 50 applicants for 2 jobs. Ted and Sally got the jobs.

Bob2 claims job seekers allowance, and claims help with his living costs.
Welfare won.

Charlie and Jenny and the rest of the lunchtime crowd from welfare are commenting on Bob2's situation. Somebody suggests that it is not right that Bob2 should have his Flat paid for. Another person disagrees. What do you think?

Idle Chatter, the Housing Market, the Housing Market:

My Opinion: All that talk is just idle chatter - the bigger problem - affordable housing is the real issue.

Until the government take measures regarding second ownership (tax it out of existence?), the housing costs of Bob and Bob2 will be driven by those seeking 10% to 20% annual returns on residential housing.

This generation (and the previous generation) have been raised to maximise the income to their family unit. Whilst a situation exists where 10% to 20% annual profit can be obtained through owning a second home, the welfare system is taking up the slack.

Everyone meets the cost of welfare, but only the second home owners get to keep the 10% to 20% profit.

Schooled in profit - would I ever own a second home:

The easy answer here would be to say NO NEVER, however I think it is naïve of me to reach right away for that answer.

Let me put it to you another way...

If I had £100,000 today and could earn 4% in a bank, or 20% in a second home, would you consider me an idiot for taking the 4%? Probably.

If I take the 4% I am considered a fool for giving up 16% earnings.

Regulation is required to prevent bank and building society investments, being the poor choice for most 'well off' couples and their investment.

Residential Housing is not a 'free market' and should not be treated like one.
Yes have a market, but have it regulated to moderate profits, through capital gains tax and other taxation measures.

If it is 'too profitable' then speculation and greed take over, and affordable housing becomes a myth.

Until this happens, those 20% annual returns are going to be too tempting for anyone to resist.

But nobody makes 10% or 20% per annum on a second house now?

If this is the case, then regulation is still required, just not as urgently.

It does not alter the situation that all those 10% and 20% yearly increases, between 1994 and 2009 have been taken out of the system.

Only when house prices fall so that those 10% or 20% rises are undone will the affordable housing problem go away.

But that is impossible? Only if housing is really not a free market or there is a fundamental change in our social makeup.

With the lack of regulation, a lack of buyers could well undo those past rises.

However second home owners would not allow that to happen. Lobbying for removal of rent caps on social housing, and other roundabout methods of propping up the residential property market, would likely come into effect.

The 'well off' do not like to lose money, and expect MPs, and other representatives to take action if that looks likely. Cynical? Maybe.

I mentioned a 'fundamental change in our social makeup' - see next.

Alternative housing - a threat to second home owners:

Bob loses the Flat and decides to take off and become a 'traveller'. The £5,000 buys him a motor home.

The couple will have to scrimp and save for a decade, before having any hope of affording to buy a house.

Note: I have misrepresented Victoria and Bob2 as a couple here. Victoria is a real person (see link), however I felt it a useful addition to this article. Bob2 bears no relation to the boyfriend of Victoria in the linked article. My words are fictional.

So it seems that there are perhaps too many vested interests in the 'free market' of residential property, to allow any change.

Alternative housing will be vilified, as if it is not, then those 10% or 20% annual profits might never return!

Notes and Further Reading:

It is not my intention to suggest that welfare staff discuss individual cases over lunch. I just found it a useful way of introducing ideas and opinions, which the reader can mull over.

If this article comes across as being negative towards second home owners, it is not so deliberate. I only point out the negatives to get to the root cause - Having residential housing as a truly 'free market' is in my opinion a big mistake. This article is my attempt to illustrate that, rather than targeting those individuals outright.

An extract from a report by Shelter about Affordable Housing in UK:

Shelter's research found rents had risen at one-and-a-half times the rate of incomes in the 10 years up to 2007.

Shelter defines 'Affordable' as 35% of median average local take-home pay.